Diners and Commiserations
by maureenbrown
Summary: Leo gets stood up yet again by a date. Frank, thank god, is there to cover up and pretend to be them. One-shot, Valzhang/Freo, with Percabeth, past Valgrace/Leason, past Frazel and Jasper.


A/N: Yay, I finally got around to writing for this pair (YEAH, THERE'S HARDLY ANYTHING IN THE ARCHIVE; THANKS A LOT). I also made Percy and Annabeth older. Also, whatever you say, Percy would totally do all this stuff. Leo and Frank are a little out of character, I apologize for that. Anyways, R&R! :D

x-x-x

Leo's been stood up by dates too many times to count, so this time it was just like another punch to the gut.

Except this time, it was as if it were an MMA fighter with spikes on his boxing gloves.

Especially since he hasn't gone on a date since Jason…

No, he won't think about him.

After all, he's with Piper McLean and he'd be an awful person to come between that. Not that he could; Jason is completely and utterly smitten with her.

Anyways, back to the other problem. The girl that he had managed to "woo" is drop-dead gorgeous. His date, Khione, is almost as much of a knock-out as his best friend Piper (though she tries and Piper doesn't). Her hair is raven black and her eyes are the color of cocoa beans. She's the same height as Leo and her flawless skin is the color of snow. In fact, she's kinda like a modern version of Snow White, but older and more model-like.

Sitting in the booth now, he feels like a fool. _Of course_ she did this all to make him look like a fool.

He feels bad for the waiters and waitresses too, repeatedly and sympathetically asking him if his date will come. He's even memorized their names, Percy and Annabeth.

Percy's a really tan, hot guy with black hair that reminds him of Khione and makes his heart ache. He looks like a guy that you'd find in Hawaii, surfing waves and having a good time, with a goofy personality to match. He dropped by a couple minutes earlier to chat with Leo, taking his mind off of the goddess that isn't there for a little while, blabbing about swimming and stuff that Leo's heart just wasn't in.

There's also his girlfriend (presumably). She's pretty in a different way than… The unmentioned other girl. Her grey eyes are distant, cold, and calculating, and if Leo didn't know better, she probably could've passed off for a dumb blonde. But the way she memorized everybody's orders without a pad of paper and complained to the manager (some gruff guy named Gleeson) about the lame architecture in the diner, he's not sure why he's a waitress.

He assumes that Percy and Annabeth are making out back where eyes can't pry in the kitchen, and Leo's pretty sure it's not a good sign when you start dreaming about other's love lives instead of your own.

He's snapped out of his stupor when a tall, well-muscled Asian boy slides across the booth from him. Leo recognizes him as the ripped hottie that sat by a booth a couple seats away from him in a corner, looking absolutely miserable.

Annabeth swoops by in a second, her golden waves now tied up in a messy bun.

Percy slides in next to his girlfriend, bumping hips with her and gazing into her stony eyes before drawing his attention to Leo and the new boy. "Oh, your date finally came!" Percy chirps untactfully.

That's when Leo realizes what the other boy is doing and he looks at the Asian to see his reaction.

"I thought he was a she." Percy attempts to whisper to the blonde (but he fails it sounds like he's shouting), before getting elbowed rather harshly in the ribs.

"What can I get you two?" Annabeth asks as she hadn't heard her boyfriend. She seems to have figured out the Asian's plan, but she doesn't say anything.

Percy stares at the two from behind, adding the pieces up in his brain, and maybe he's a lot smarter than Leo originally thought.

"I'll get a Coke. Care to share?" He addresses Leo. His voice isn't as deep as Leo would've thought, but it's rich and it makes Leo's bones melt. Khione's voice was hard as ice and brutal, even if she was complimenting him, and he likes the new change.

Still, all he can do is nod shakily and let out a choked sound.

Annabeth smiles at the two and flourishes off, dragging Percy along with her.

"You didn't need to-" Leo starts, but the Asian cuts him off.

"I know," He says while leaning on the table. "But I wanted to. You seem to be having as rotten of a day as I am."

Leo nods, drumming his fingertips against the table and staring intently at them.

"What's your name?" The other boy pipes up, and Leo chides himself on his unawareness. This _god_ has come to his table to be with him and he's being distant. Must he screw up all his relationships (well, not that this is one, Leo can't bring himself to even hope).

"I'm Leo. Leo Valdez. Who're you?" He asks.

"Frank Zhang. Nice to meet you."

There's a pause, where Leo takes the time to mouth the other boy's name. He decides it's a good name, and it fits him. He can't figure out a good nickname for the other boy, so maybe he'll just stick to his last name.

Frank laughs, though it sounds a little down, and Leo suspects it's because he's being so childish. His cheeks burn and the tips of his earlobes feel like they're smoking.

"What happened to your date, anyway? You don't have to answer that, but… Yeah." The guy inquires awkwardly, and Leo feels a little more self-confident. This good looking guy is possibly just as awkward as he is, a panda bear squished into the body of an Olympian.

"I got stood up. Again." He shrugs nonchalantly, hoping he's not too let down as he thinks he looks. "Why're you here?" Leo wonders in return.

"I got dumped by my girlfriend, Hazel." Frank traces what looks suspiciously like a heart on the table, not meeting Leo's eyes.

There are two things about Leo Valdez that are important: one is that he's incredibly impulsive. Two is that he _can't_ keep his hands still to save his life.

So for him to reach across the table and grab Frank's is a feat but at the same time not. The Asian's hands still and he glances up at Leo almost bashfully, who continues holding it with kind of a "I dare you to take your hand away," glare.

Annabeth cautiously comes over and sets down Zhang's coke and two straws and then hastily exits while Percy gives a very exaggerated wink their way, the troll.

Frank surprisingly doesn't draw his hand away, instead stabbing the straw out of the wrapper with one hand and plopping it into the fizzy drink with his other hand and then doing the same for Leo's straw.

Leo honestly can't imagine why though, he thinks if a scrawny Latino that resembled an imp more than a boy grabbed his hand spontaneously he'd shriek and not emerge from his hidey hole for a couple millennia.

Not that he's complaining when Franks retracts his hand to interlace their fingers together, both of their cheeks cherry red as they quietly sip from the straws.

Leo can see Percy making kissy faces at them from the corner of his eye, earning a smack on the head from his girlfriend by a newspaper.

Frank looks on edge too, glancing over at them several times until Leo tells him, "don't encourage."

As the night progresses on, Leo feels more and more comfortable with the boy, nudging the empty glass away and taking both of the boy's hands in his own. Their conversation is a roller coaster that has just come out, loopy and unexpected.

Leo talks most of the time, either sitting on his legs and bouncing up and down on his heels like an excited little boy when he explains his inventions to Frank, who gives him rapt attention.

Then, things take a more serious turn when they get to the topic of family, and Zhang shares that his mother died in a war bravely.

Leo opens up and tells the other boy about his mom who died in a workshop malfunction, how it burst into flames and only he miraculously survived. He only tells it to his close friends (really, only Piper and… Jason know), and he's not sure why he tells Frank, but he feels his secrets are safe with the Asian.

Leo even sheds a tear, and Frank wipes it away with one swipe of his big thumb, his finger lingering a bit too long to be friendly on Leo's cheek.

Again, Leo is one hundred percent okay with that.

They talk about their past relationships, and Leo explains him what pansexuality is (the Asian is adorable naïve to the topic).

Frank admits he's only ever been with Hazel, the sweet girl he met when he was fifteen (he's now seventeen) and has been in love with until it all faded away. She told him a couple hours ago that she had been cheating on him with a boy named Sammy, and he's still pretty heartbroken.

Leo's bad with words and feelings, he's not really used to talking about them. He assures Frank that it wasn't his fault if Hazel cheated on him, and that it's okay to move on.

Just to put a cherry on top of the brain-freezing ice cream, he recounts his tales of him and Jason Grace, the boy that he dated for a year, the star of the football team and every girl mooned over, just for him to get a head injury by a jealous freak named Hera. He woke up in the hospital with amnesia and completely forgot about his feelings for Leo, instantly making a move on Piper, his best friend, instead. Now they're happily dating and Leo _tries_ to be happy for them, he really does, but it still hurts like hell.

Frank rubs his thumb soothingly against Leo's hands the entire story, keeping him grounded and murmuring things when there's a gap in the dialogue.

When Leo finishes, he brings their heads close together, and he thinks Frank may kiss him, which is silly because he's a nobody and Zhang is definitely a somebody, but he doesn't. Probably because they just met hours before, which is reasonable, but still. They just sit there quietly, their foreheads pressed against each other's and their eyes lowered while Percy whoops, "GOOD FOR YOU!" in the background obnoxiously, causing other customers to grumble and complain.

When they pull away, they resume talking of happier subjects, like Frank and his love for archery and Leo's obsession with workshops.

It feels like minutes, but it stretches longer, and Annabeth stops by their booth, looking tired. "We're closing up in a couple minutes, just to let you know." She says and Leo swears.

He apologizes and tips her and her boyfriend excessively, and he can tell she's very grateful.

Frank and Leo walk hand-in-hand out of the diner, standing silently underneath the lamplight.

"I'm kinda glad Hazel broke up with me. If she hadn't, I probably wouldn't have met you." Frank says heartwarmingly, and Leo is glad he did. He may be rash at times, but there's no way he'd have the courage to say that.

"Same here, Zhang." He agrees, gazing up at the Asian. Damn him, he's at _least_ a head taller.

Frank leans down and stops, giving Leo all the time to back out, and Leo's ecstatic. He practically hops into Frank's arms, throwing himself clumsily into the kiss.

He's only been kissed by two people before; Calypso, his childhood crush, which was hard and hurried, and Jason, who's kisses he can hardly remember.

He likes the way Frank cradles him like he's wanted, molding their bodies together and holding him securely. He's not the best kisser, but Leo finds himself fond of his inexperience. He can't have Frank be _completely_ out of his league (though all his partners have been, surprisingly). Not that he isn't light-years away already.

They pull away, and Frank looks almost embarrassed. "I've never been with a guy, or liked one, ever… So, I don't really know. Does that make me heteroflexible? Who knows, I don't." Frank rambles nervously and Leo stands on his tip toes and gives him another peck on the lips to shut him up.

"I don't care. And if you're not looking for a relationship, I get it." Leo says, and he hates how he sounds so self-deprecating.

"No!" Frank exclaims rather loudly and Leo freaking _beams_. "No, no. I'd love to go on another date with you."

"Perfect." Leo replies. And it really is.

x-x-x

One year later, on their anniversary, they meet back up at the same diner again.

Annabeth and Percy, with gleaming wedding bands on their ring fingers smile back at them.

"Let me guess, a Coke?" Annabeth asks, ushering the couple to their table.


End file.
